Belgium’s Nathan van Hooydonck crashed during the 15th stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 179 kilometers (111 miles) with start in Les Gets Les Portes du Soleil and finish in Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc, France, Sunday, July 16, 2023.
Daniel Cole/AP
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Daniel Cole/AP
Belgium’s Nathan van Hooydonck crashed during the 15th stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 179 kilometers (111 miles) with start in Les Gets Les Portes du Soleil and finish in Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc, France, Sunday, July 16, 2023.
Daniel Cole/AP
SAINT-GERVAIS MONT-BLANC, France — Tour de France overall leader Jonas Vingegaard is calling on fans to behave better at cycling’s biggest race after another mass crash marred the 15th stage on Sunday.
“I’d like to tell the spectators to enjoy the race and be there to cheer for us without standing on the road or pouring beers on us,” Vingegaard said. “Please, just enjoy the race.”
The Danish rider leads Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia by only 10 seconds with the race about to enter its final week.
The incident, which involved around two dozen riders, led to appeals from several teams at the Tour.
“Please be careful. So that the party remains a party for the riders, but also for you. You don’t need a cell phone to create mind-blowing memories,” the Cofidis team said amid unverified reports that the spectator who caused the crash was taking a selfie.
The Ineos Grenadiers team said “please give the riders room to race.”
A day after a big pileup forced several riders to abandon, the latest accident occurred after 52 kilometers (32 miles) when a spectator on the side